What are the authorized religions on ID (dog) tags?

2014-03-04T16:25:40-05:00

I am aware there is a list of 'approved' religious preferences for your official records, AR 680-29 Chapter 1, Section 1, Table 1-68, however I could not find anything official for the ID Tag. I know the wear of the ID Tag is covered in AR 670-1, Section 1, Chapter 1, 1-16 Wear of Identification tags and security badges. I just assumed you could only have on your ID Tags what is on your ERB, and we know what assuming can get you. I have talked to my Chaplain Assistant who talked to my Chaplain as well as done a bunch of INET searching and can't find anything official on this. Only thing I have found is statements by groups and individuals that the ID Tag is not an 'official' military document and you can put whatever you want on it. Need some clarification, help on this subject please.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Mar 4 at 2014 4:41 PM

2014-03-04T16:41:41-05:00

It's the same list. Whatever you have on record goes on your tags. I don't know that any reg spells that out, but I don't know that they should HAVE to...

Response by TSgt Scott Hurley made Mar 24 at 2014 1:45 PM

2014-03-24T13:45:34-04:00

Not a regulation, but it gives a brief history of US Military Dog Tags.

Scroll down to where it talks about Religious Designation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_tag#United_States_of_America

Dog tag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A dog tag is the informal name given to the identification tags worn by military personnel, because of their resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead an...

Response by CW2 Jonathan Kantor made Apr 7 at 2014 4:05 PM

2014-04-07T16:05:29-04:00

I never gave a damn what the regulations say about what we put on our dog tags.  Mine say PASTAFARIAN and I am damn proud of it!  They should say CALL A MEDIC more than anything else.  Why should anyone be limited by what they decide their faith is?  When I joined, they made me put no religious preference on there.  That's not what an atheist is.  It simply isn't.<br><br>BTW, I am a minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster :D<br>

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2014 9:21 AM

2014-05-04T09:21:42-04:00

I have "NO RELIG PREF", another guy in my platoon has Budhist (yes they misspelled it on his tags), at one point another had "Druid", there was even a "JEDI". I don't know of any regulations stating what can and can't go on there but as long as it's considered a legitimate religion then they can't stop you from stating that when asked.

Response by SGT Curtis Earl made May 27 at 2014 10:56 AM

2014-05-27T10:56:37-04:00

My tags say 'JEDI PIMP' in the religion section. I wanted them to say 'DARKSIDE JEDI PIMP' but we ran out of space.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2014 7:59 PM

2014-05-27T19:59:43-04:00

They are correct in that the ID tag is not an official military document. It's purpose is to aid in the ID of bodies. With the religion it allows those processing the bodies to be aware that there may be special procedures based on the individuals religion that need to be followed as part of preparing the body so that a chaplain or appropraite person can be contacted.

Response by SSG Daniel Rosploch made Jun 16 at 2014 4:21 PM

2014-06-16T16:21:42-04:00

The issue I see coming up is that on "official" military ID tags, the religion is based off of the ERB/ORB, personnel records, etc. But everyone knows that tags get lost almost as much as socks disappear in the dryer. And Soldiers go out to the local Ranger Joe's, Bradley's, General Jackson's military outfitter and have new tags created based on a little card they fill out at the sew shop register. That technically makes these ID tags personal in nature and is not a reflection of official military ID tags, even though they may look the part.

The only real way to get official military ID tags is to fill out a DA Form 4187 requesting a new set (the form has a check box for it). I don't know the forms for other branches but I'm sure its similar across the board. That way, the Army will create a set based off of the Soldier's personnel records and it eliminates "impostor" ID tags from the local military gear shops.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2014 12:24 AM

2014-06-18T00:24:27-04:00

My Tags say JOBUBBANISM
And I just got an Allergy Tag for STUPID

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Jun 18 at 2014 12:36 PM

2014-06-18T12:36:56-04:00

I wish they had room to put on mine what my religion actually is:

"I believe in a creator, but I do not want to hear about yours or tell you about mine because this is a personal thing to me, so screw off!"

Or something to that sentiment. I understand that having the religion on the tags is generally for last rites, but its still a personal thing and I do not understand why people need to make it so "in your face" sometimes.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2014 1:20 PM

2014-06-18T13:20:41-04:00

Here is a link to an official Army website, it says there is no official or approved list of what can be on your ID tags.

http://www.army.mil/article/123034/What_s_on_your_dog_tag_/

What's on your dog tag?

For Soldiers, what to put on their dog tag for religious preference is serious business, because spirituality is important.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2014 12:16 PM

2014-06-19T12:16:28-04:00

Talked to a Chaplain the other day and he said that for the ERB you can put Data Code: 75 which is "Other Religions" to be official on your ERB. Then on your Dog Tags you can put whatever religion that isn't on the list. The Religious coding is to tell the medical staff what Chaplain, Minister, etc to get for you for last rites, burial procedures, etc. The Army however can't tell you that you can't be a specific Religion, they just might not have the resources to support your choice.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 21 at 2014 6:57 PM

2014-07-21T18:57:55-04:00

On ID tags, no. Since it is not an official military document, it has no regs, per se. In your personnel files, however, your religious preference is used for the marking on your headstone. There are 61 authorized symbols for headstones.

http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/docs/emblems.pdf

Response by CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 3:10 AM

2014-12-23T03:10:18-05:00

AR 680-29 covers ID tags as well. I was an S-1 prior to becoming a Chaplain. This is taught at the Chaplain Schoolhouse.

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2015 9:33 AM

2015-01-22T09:33:24-05:00

Sometimes a little creative rebellion is a good thing. There are many more important things than those few characters on a dog tag. As long as it's not vulgar or profane, move on... dog tags, check. It amazes how many people complain about over-regulation and then turn around and try to enforce nitnoid things like this.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 29 at 2015 9:38 AM

2015-01-29T09:38:30-05:00

I got my tags redone in 2012. They say "HUMANIST" as you can see in the included picture (that was 2 years before "HUMANIST" became an official option for our records). Prior to that, I had "NO-REL-PREF" on them even though I had requested "ATHEIST" originally.

For my official records, I finally got "ATHEIST" on them in 2006 after I decided to press the issue of being unlawfully denied it when I entered, but quickly changed it to "HUMANIST" last year when it became available.

Contrary to the beliefs of some here, there is no requirement that dogtags precisely match official records or that dogtags be restricted to only the choices available on those records. It is a matter of self-expression as much as it is a tool for identifying appropriate religious services needed for dying service members, while official records are needed for demographics and other assessments. In practice, just like I was originally denied "ATHEIST," it is all too often restricted in both records and on your tags if you aren't Christian.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2015 3:29 PM

2015-01-31T15:29:47-05:00

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member:
It took me a while, but I tracked down the actual regulations which the Army has published that cover ID tags. The most recent regulation to specifically mention line-by-line what's allowed on a tag appears to be AR 600-8-14, "Identification Cards, Tags, and Badges", dtd. 15 July 1992. And yes, by virtue of recency, it overrides the ancient AR 606-5 and AR 640-3, though I should point out it does not conflict with them. It was superseded by AFI 36-3026(I) "Identification Cards for Members of the Uniformed Services, their Family Members, and other Eligible Personnel", dtd. 01 March 1998 (Yes, an Air Force Instruction superseded an Army Regulation when the publication went Joint**). The most recent version is AFI 36-3026(IP), dtd. 17 June 2009 with an administrative update on 02 November 2009. Importantly, with the switch to the Joint Pub in 1998, the line-by-line description was dropped, therefore in the absence of anything else it is the best available resource for denoting what the acceptable standard is. I will paste the relevant contents below.

**= (Technically, it is several regulations, including AR 600-8-14, all at the same time. When this happens, the convention is to use the first alphabetical listing as the canonical descriptor, while the others are alternative descriptors.)

-------------------------
AR 600-8-14, "Identification Cards, Tags, and Badges", dtd. 15 July 1992
Chapter 11 - "Identification Tags"
Section 11-5 "Steps for issuing ID tags" (p. 38)

Line 1- Enter last name, first name, middle Initial of wearer. Example: Smith. John Z. If the full name cannot be embossed on the first line, put the last name on line 1, the first name and middle initial on line 2. Advance each remaining line. If a U.S. National, the name will be the same as shown on passport or ID card.

Line 2- Enter social security number.
Hyphenate between the third and fourth digits and between the fifth and sixth. Example: 000-00-0000.

Line 3- Blood group and type. Record as "A," "B," "AB," or "O," Followed by "POS" OR "NEG." Do not use plus (+) or minus (-) signs to record the blood type. (This fulfills para 10, NATO STANAG 2939).

Line 4- See Item 1.

Line 5- Religious preference. Spell out when possible. Examples: Assembly of God, House of David, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Church of God, Moslem, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and so forth. Use contractions or abbreviations when the name exceeds 18 spaces. Examples: American Evangelical Christian Church—Amer Evang Church, United Free Will Baptist—U Free Bapt, Christ Unity Science Church—Chr Unity Sci Ch, African
Methodist Episcopal Church—Af Mem Episc Ch, Conservative Amish Mennonite Con-Amteh Mennon.
"No preference" If a person does not wish to designate a religious preference or make no statement of religious belief. Religious belief may be changed on tags at any time the soldier desires.
-------------------------
The important thing to note is that AR 680-29 -- the one that used to have the allowed codes for personnel records before it was rescinded in the move to digitization -- predates this regulation, which means the plain language of "Religious preference. Spell out when possible. [...] Use contractions or abbreviations when the name exceeds 18 spaces." means EXACTLY that. There is ZERO requirement from here that the ID Tags must match exactly and only the options listed as data codes, and nobody has found a single regulation since that changes that fact. Yes, the ID tag systems use the data codes as their base, and the automated machines appear to be locked into those codes, but if you get your own made everything suggests you're in the clear.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made May 6 at 2015 1:41 PM

2015-05-06T13:41:39-04:00

It should be either all or nothing.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 21 at 2015 2:47 PM

2015-07-21T14:47:36-04:00

So long as it fits and isn't inappropriate, they don't care. I believe the "approved" list of religious preferences has more to do with service members requesting accommodations such as services or some time off for a holiday.

I've seen a couple "Jedi" tags but my favorite was just a misspelling. It was supposed to be Catholic Non-denominational but the tag actually read CATHOLIC NO DEMON.

Response by PO1 Roger Waddle made Jun 30 at 2016 3:30 PM

2016-06-30T15:30:09-04:00

the issue of dog tags not being an official document is debateable , (they are the id used for fatality identification in some cases) as far as what should be put on them under religon should be the religon of choice nothing more nothing less

Response by Sgt William Biggs made Jul 16 at 2016 12:09 PM

2016-07-16T12:09:46-04:00

Had a friend that had Jedi on it. When asked about it, he recanted and said he was Sith now.

Response by Sgt William Biggs made Jul 16 at 2016 12:10 PM

2016-07-16T12:10:59-04:00

I also wasn't too concerned about it. I always had no rel pref. I just wanted someone to say or do something if I passed. I didn't care whom it was.

Response by SGT Reed Cundiff made Jun 13 at 2017 10:41 AM

2017-06-13T10:41:38-04:00

Three of the guys from Team 4 of 173rd Ann LRRP platoon went over to Admin Forward have dogtags changed to DRUID and put up a sign over a bunker we had built protesting the Agent Orange destruction of the sacred trees. Father Guilo (sic), the Brigade Catholic Chaplain thought this delightful. He had made two drops in WW II, both in Korea, and the one in RVN. I already had UNITARIAN. Put this on a LRRP/LRSU Facebook site and it really one guy

Response by A1C Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2017 9:36 PM

2017-07-25T21:36:32-04:00

Mine says Imperial Cult from Warhammer 40k.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2017 11:43 AM

2017-11-20T11:43:33-05:00

I take no stock in religion cause it's man made. I take stock in the church since that is what is mentioned in the Bible. The family of God. I put my church on my tags. Salvation army.

Response by Matt Moon made Apr 15 at 2018 3:06 PM

2018-04-15T15:06:44-04:00

Any religion you can think of you can put No Preference , Santanist, Wiccan, our Atheist on there if you wanted to .

Response by Matt Moon made Apr 15 at 2018 3:18 PM

2018-04-15T15:18:35-04:00

I guss Fuck Religion wouldn't look Appropriate on my Identification Tags it would ruin my reputation and make the service look bad. I was raised Southern Baptist so i just put that on there . I don't want people asking me stupid questions. After you have consistently been surrounded by death and realize how fucked up this world truly is you stop careing about that Fairytale Bullshit.

Response by Matt Moon made Apr 15 at 2018 3:21 PM

2018-04-15T15:21:56-04:00

They way i look at if your dead it dosent matter.